Medizinische Sicherheit und globale Gesundheit
Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

Global Toxicology 2020: Cholestyramine, a low-cost yet effective antidote for digoxin toxicity – Mahreen Muzammil, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Mahreen Muzammil

Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside derived from Digitalis lanata and is a positive inotropic and negative chronotropic agent. Digoxin acts by blocking the Na-K-ATPase pump, resulting in an increase in intracellular sodium, which in turn increases intracellular calcium levels in myocytes, resulting in an enhanced inotropic effect [1, 2]. In overdose, digoxin causes several side effects, resulting in both bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias. The approved antidote, digoxin-specific antibody fragments (DIGIFAB), is a low-cost but effective option for treating digoxin toxicity [3]. We describe the cases in which digoxin levels fell to acceptable therapeutic levels by using cholestyramine.